


Ooft's Under Tales

by Ooft



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Big whoopsies, Don't Examine This Too Closely, F/F, F/M, M/M, My name has been legally changed to Anna Ou, please
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-05
Updated: 2019-06-10
Packaged: 2020-04-07 05:25:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19078360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ooft/pseuds/Ooft
Summary: G'day, welcome to my shop! I don't buy or sell. I only talk.Thanks for your business, have a nice day!





	1. Walking Home

**Author's Note:**

> "I'll walk you home."

"I'll walk you home." Grillby announced, watching as Sans' face slipped off his hand, almost slamming into the bar.

Sans groaned in response, nodding. He went to stand, instead falling sideways off he stool. His body caught in midair, stuttering his fall for a second. He hit the ground reasonably softly, though a windy "oof" still passed through him.

"Don't try and do it yourself. I'll help." Grillby quickly untied his apron, throwing it in the direction of the 'EMPLOYEES ONLY' door. He rushed to Sans' side, picking him up slowly. The skeleton groaned again, clutching at his shoulders.

"i thiiiiink i had... oooooone too manyyyy." Grillby nodded in agreement, standing up and hoisting Sans with him. His companion wobbled for a second, almost falling backwards, but stopped once he put a foot down to steady himself.

"iiiiii'm good." Sans announced, chuckling a little. "iiiiiii'm perfectlyyyyyy fiiiiiine."

Grillby shushed him, practically dragging him along beside him and out the door. A freezing breeze swept through their clothes, Grillby gritting his teeth as his flames sputtered and popped. Sans giggled at the sound, imitating it somehow. Grillby always wondered how he could make noises like that, despite his lack of lips.

"Sans please be quiet. People are probably settling down for the night." Grillby murmured, eyeing the houses behind the trees nearby.

"pffffff. everyone's _already_ asleeeep, grillbz." Sans looked at him, shaking his head over-exaggeratingly.

He simply shushed him again, beginning to walk with him.

It was moments like these that made Grillby glad to be a fire elemental; he was melting the snow as they walked along, creating a path they could walk safely down. He had quite a lot of practice doing so, as many monsters had rung him over the years to ask if he could fix their doors so that they could get to work and take their children to school. He always agreed willingly, shutting-up the bar for a few hours to get the job done.

Sans had helped him a few times as well, using bones to fling aside snow at rapid rates, though Grillby supposed it would be dangerous for him to try now, given his current state.

Sans was still giggling to himself, though he'd thankfully stopped imitating the sound of the flames. He started shaking his head randomly and Grillby looked down at his face. He looked just the same as before, though his eyes had crinkled around the edges slightly, as if he were in pain.

"grillbz, i dunno about you, but i coulda sworn that human's come through here a couple times." Sans said in a freakishly sober tone. His words had been slurred and almost incomprehensible a minute ago. 

"What human, Sans?" Grillby asked tiredly, though the skeleton was being a bit concerning at the minute.

"grillbz, stop messin' with me. that kid. 'member? i brought 'em into the restaurant just yesterday!" Sans punched him in the arm playfully, smiling, though it didn't reach his eyes.

"Sans..." Grillby trailed off. Was this the drunk one or the sober one talking? "I'm not sure who exactly you're talking about."

"really?" Sans looked up at him, then looked back down at the ground, eyes slightly narrowed. Grillby could feel his shoulders slump against his ribs. 

The flame pulled him a little closer to his side, hugging him tightly whilst still walking.

"i don't wanna go home." Sans stopped moving his legs as soon as his house came in sight. "i wanna keep walkin'."

"It's too dangerous for that. Go home." Grillby tugged him, then began to drag him again when he refused to move.

"i'll be fine. everyone in the underground knows me." Sans tried to shrug him off, but to no avail.

"It's not about what could happen to you due to other people. You're too drunk to be going out. You could fall into a waterfall!" Grillby told him, though he doubted Sans' drunkness after that conversation. 

"that wouldn't be so bad." The response was muttered almost inaudibly, though Grillby still managed to catch it. 

Grillby stopped walking, looking down at his companion's face. He didn't manage to make eye contact before Sans turned his head away. "Come back to my place and tell me what's going on." Grillby compromised, to which the skeleton nodded a little too eagerly.

They began walking back, the snow melting and steaming around them. Sans leaned on Grillby more heavily, something he didn't think was possible by now. Grillby pushed him gently into the bar, closing and locking the door firmly behind him.

 _Wouldn't want any of those wild teens wandering into town and seeing a bar open in the middle of the night, now, would we?_ He thought, hanging his keys up beside the door. 

Sans seemed a little more independent now that he was on solid ground, stumbling over to the bar by himself, watching Grillby in fascination as he picked his rumpled apron off the ground, smoothed it out, then folded it up neatly.

Grillby went around, giving everything one last clean, then turned to Sans, who had curled up in foetal position next to the bar. He stood in front of the skeleton for a few moments, waiting for him to lift his head up and look at him. This didn't happen, however, so Grillby leaned down and tapped the top of his skull gently.

Sans lifted his head slowly, his eyes black voids. Small white pupils began to form the longer he gazed at Grillby, rapidly becoming their usual size.

Grillby offered him a hand, the skeleton gratefully taking it and letting himself be pulled up. Grillby braced his arm, ready for the skeleton to fall into him, but Sans managed to stand by himself, glancing around as though he had forgotten his current predicament.

Grillby stepped away slowly, gradually letting Sans go so that he got used to becoming more independent and wouldn't fall over. He briskly strode over to the 'EMPLOYEES ONLY' door, holding it open and gesturing for Sans to walk through. He nodded, shuffling over and patting Grillby's chest in thanks as he went past.

There was a small living area attached to the bar, the little home beginning with a lounge room. Sans immediately flopped onto the couch, grunting as his head knocked the side-cushion on his way down. Grillby watched him settle down, then left the room quickly. Sans could hear some clattering and bubbling, before Grillby came back out with some Sea Tea. He handed a mug to Sans, then settled into the armchair beside the couch.

They say in silence for a few minutes.

"Sans... I'm concerned for your health." Grillby told the skeleton, crossing and re-crossing his legs.

"im fine, grillbz." Sans grumbled, covering his eyes with his hands after he'd put the mug of tea on the floor.

Grillby scoffed. "You implied you wanted to die, Sans."

"don't assume. makes an ass outta you and me."

"Don't try and joke around. You clearly have a problem."

"well if you consider a problem as when no one else seems to remember a kid you've met forty-seven times, then yeah, i do have a problem."

"What child?"

"human kid. my height. dark hair, blue and pink striped shirt."

"I've never even _heard_ of a child like that."

"no one has, 'pparently."

Sans shook his head, taking a sip of the tea.

Grillby pondered the statement. Was Sans going-

"i'm not crazy grillbz, i swear. that kid keeps coming back through."

Grillby hesitated. "So, what do they do when they come back?"

"it's different every time. killing one day, dating the next." Sans said it in a serious tone, his voice not wavering or changing once.

"Sans, I'm not lying about the human. I haven't seen them at all."

"i know grillbz. no one has. well, 'sides me."

A silence say between them for a few minutes, the only sound being them lifting their tea to drink, then setting the mugs back down.

"Would you like me to walk you home?" Grillby broke the silence, seeing as both he and Sans had finished drinking.

"nah. i know a shortcut." Sans sat up, looking Grillby straight in the eyes for the first time that day. "thanks for tonight."

Grillby bowed his head. "Of course. Please, feel free to drop by again if you ever want to talk."

Sans smiled, then left the house. A muted cracking sound came from outside the door, but when Grillby checked, no one was there.

There was something Sans wasn't telling him, though the skeleton seemed to experience quite a bit of difficulty even getting out that meagre amount of information.

A human in the Underground; Grillby hadn't seen a human in over two hundred and seventy years. The last one had been a young lady with an orange soul and a cinched-in waist due to a tight corset.

She had been beautiful, that girl, and impossibly obsessed with Sans' brother, Papyrus. She had followed him around like a pet, parroting back his praises and supporting his every word. Not that Grillby had seen it, something he considered highly unfortunate. No, Sans had told him about it. Come to think of it, how did Grillby remember that human if Papyrus didn't seem to?

Sans would have a lot of questions to answer tomorrow.

Grillby shook his head roughly in an attempt to be rid of his thoughts. He stepped backwards when he became dizzy, cursing quietly. His eyelids were drooping lazily as he placed the mugs in the dishwasher, continuing to grow heavier as he walked to his bedroom, stripping off along the way. He dumped his clothes in a laundry hamper on the way in, flopping down onto his bed. The day's events replayed in his head, specific orders and such coming to mind.

 _But none from a human customer,_ he thought. 

He shook his head again, rubbing his face harshly. 

Sans _had_ come in significantly less than usual today. What was it, only two 'breakfasts', one 'lunch', four 'drink breaks' and three 'dinners'? That sounded right. 

Grillby had half a mind to go to his house, or at least call him. 

Knowing the skeleton though, he'd probably be fast asleep already, passed out in bed. He could also envision Papyrus yelling at his older brother tomorrow about it, telling him off for his lateness and for not even going to bed. 

He smiled at the thought. Sans certainly had a brother who was looking out for him just as much as he probably looked out for Papyrus as a child. It was sweet.

Grillby shuffled further onto the bed, curling up with his pillow. 

No more worries. No more thoughts. 

Just sleep. 


	2. Gone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gone.
> 
> A one-sided phone call.

The "You have one new voice message. Press 1 to hear it. Press-" The click of the button echoes. "New message, recorded at 3:14 am." 

The phone crackled to life properly, almost as if it was clearing its throat. 

"Hey. I know you're never gonna pick up, but I wanted to say I'm sorry. I fucked up. Lied to you." The message ended, another call coming through. It was declined again. 

"You have one new voice message. Press 1 to hear it. Press- New message, recorded at 3:18 am."

"I told you I didn't care when I did. It's just... I don't trust anyone. It's not just you." The message ends again. Another call. 

"You have one new voice message. Press 1 to hear it. Press- New message, recorded at 3:23 am."

"I can't blame it on him, I know. But that's what happened back then. I trusted him with my life. He was all I had." 

End. New message. 

"Guess I fucked up, huh?" 

A new message came every few minutes, a deafening silence falling between each one. 

"I told you I hated making promises. That's why. Not because I feel like I'm gonna break 'em. It's 'cause I feel like I'm being taken advantage of." 

"He made me say I'd never run. You know me; I'm a man of my word." 

"Guess he got under my skin in the end, huh?" 

"Sticks and stones sure broke these bones." 

"He gave me a book once. Main character fell in love with this girl. Made me think if I'd ever fall in love." 

"Guess it did happen." 

"Not that it matters anymore." 

"I'm not even sure if you're listening to these. Not surprised if you're deleting them. Hell, I know I would." 

"You have one new voice message. Press 1 to hear it. Press- New message, recorded at 3:58 am."

"If you did listen, I just wanted to say I'm sorry again." A heavy silence filled the air. "I'm pretty bone tired, so I'm gonna go to sleep. Sorry if I kept you up." The phone cut out suddenly. 

"If you would like to hear-" One last click. 

Then everything was gone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who do you think he was talking to?


	4. The Smell of Ketchup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Why the fuck does everything smell like ketchup?" 
> 
> Soulmate AU where you get 'impressions' from your soulmate.

"Frilla, what do I do? I can't get rid of the smell!" Grillby yelled, then groaned. He ran his hands down his face, his glasses falling down onto the floor. He stood still with his face buried into his hands for a few seconds, then moved to pick the glasses back up. 

Frilla giggled. "I don't think I've ever heard someone get so upset over finally knowing their Soulmate." 

"It's ketchup, Frilla. Ketchup. Are you kidding me?" Grillby glared at her, then realised he couldn't see her very well. He ran a sleeve over his glasses, put them on, then glared at his sister again. 

"Maybe you should go find them and ask." She giggled. 

"You're no help." Grillby sighed. 

Frilla kept giggling. "I can do some searches online for you." 

"What, you think someone uses a 'ketchup' tag on all their posts? Shit, what if _I_ start doing that?" Grillby's eyes went wide. "No. Not happening. If I ever do that, you have permission to punch me in the stomach." 

Frilla smirked. "It would be my pleasure." She pulled out her phone. "Alright, Operation Ketchup is now a go." She winked at her brother, then left the room, typing furiously across her screen. 

Grillby sighed. How could he get any schoolwork done when all he could smell was ketchup? It's not like he could tell the teacher that either; Miss Hayes would yell at him. 

He pulled his books from his bag, then dumped them on his desk. 

"So... English, Science and... nothing else." He checked the books, then looked in his bag again. Nothing else in there. Opening up his Science book, he began to speak. "When fire magic and water magic combine, they cancel each other out. No matter how much fire is present, it will always be doused by water. However, when more water is present than fire, there is a small chance there will still be water left over." He checked the answer in his book, doing a small fist pump when he knew he'd gotten it right. He announced other things he'd learnt in a similar manner, checking afterward. 

It was strange, having all this come so easily to him. He could have sworn he had difficulty going over it aloud to himself on the walk home. 

He opened his English book after an hour of Science, reading over his notes for _R & R (Robot Romance)_ by Dr Alphys' new robot, Mettaton. He'd done all this analysis on the piece, writing about how Mettaton used so many (actually a rather ridiculous amount) of exclamation points in his story to convey excitement in the reader and to help them understand the wild passions of the robots. He'd written about how Mettaton took a stand for the uncommon monsters (with him being a robot and all) and how even the most robotic (no pun intended) monsters can still love. 

Grillby hadn't been moved at all, but he wasn't going to tell Mettaton that when he came to speak to them about his book. 

Grillby frowned as he went to start writing. Absolutely no ideas came to him on what to write. He tapped his palm to his temple, trying to perhaps knock the ideas loose, but it didn't work. He tapped firmer another time, then firmer still. It didn't work. 

After what seemed like an eternity of sitting and staring into space, he suddenly had a million ideas flood into his brain. He began writing them down at lightning speed, then frowned as he read over it all. Nothing he wrote was capitalised. The grammar was fine. Perfect, even. Just... no capitals, whatsoever. 

Who the fuck wrote without capitals in their _English_ work? Of all subjects to not use capitals, his Soulmate chose _English_? Grillby laid his head on his arms after shoving the book away. 

How was he going to explain this? What was he going to do? Could he find a way to stop doing all this? Why the fuck wouldn't the smell of ketchup just _go away_? 

His eyes were sore with the threat of tears. Everything was just so _frustrating_. Of course he would get a soulmate that messed with his schoolwork. Of course. Just absolutely typical of the world. 

He slammed a fist down onto his desk, then the side of his head. He grimaced afterward, but didn't move his face from the cold wood of the desk. Little drops of lava came out of his eyes, falling onto the desk. Grillby was thankful for his father's fire-proofing expertise, watching as the wood practically soaked up the lava without so much as a stain. 

The whole side of his head ached, though he still didn't move his head. It began to ring in his ears, his brain feeling like it was pulsing against his skull. 

He closed his eyes, focusing on the pain. It now went in waves through his whole body, pulsing with electricity. 

A knock sounded on his door and before he could say anyhing, his sister barged in. 

"I found someone! Private account, but I think they'll approve my request!" She announced excitedly, coming over to her brother. She didn't seem to notice the empty look in his eyes. She snapped her fingers as her face lit up. "Holy crap, I just remembered: we gotta tell Mum and Dad!" 

That made Grillby lift his head. "I'm telling them, Frilla. Do you understand?" 

Frilla pouted. "Can't we tell them together?" 

"No." Grillby told her bluntly, then pointed to his door. "Thank you for finding them. Maybe. Now, out." 

Frilla huffed theatrically, then hugged her brother tightly. He patted her back gently, holding her loosely. He pulled away, extracting himself from her. She flashed him a big grin, then left the room. 

What would he tell his parents? Who would he tell first? When would he tell them? 

An idea came to him. 

He was cooking dinner tonight. That's when he'd tell them. 

 

 

"Here, I made spaghetti." Grillby brought out the plates, placing them down in front of everyone. He had absolutely no reason to cook the dish, but he suspected it had something to do with his Soulmate. 

His mother thanked him, his father ruffling his hair, the flames burning blood orange as they mixed together. Frilla squirmed in her seat, constantly glancing over at Grillby as they were eating. He glared at her in return, rolling his eyes at her pleading looks. 

"So, I have something to tell you all." Grillby announced, watching his parents as they stopped eating and looked at him. 

"Yes?" Grillby's mother egged him on, waving her fork a little. 

"Spit it out. Your pasta's really good, I want to finish it." His father said after, staring at Grillby expectantly. 

"Well, I've... I've gotten my First Impressions." Grillby announced, glancing at his parents' faces. 

"What were they like?" His mother asked, her voice loud. 

"I don't know. Science seems a lot easier now." Grillby shrugged, then ducked his head when he realised how stupid it sounded. 

"Well, I know English became a lot easier for me once I'd gotten my First Impressions from your mother!" He father gazed at his wife lovingly, grabbing her hand. 

"I became much better at History." His mother nodded thoughtfully. 

"Really?" Grillby lifted his head again. 

"Yes. I also got this warm feeling, right in the centre of my Soul." His mother answered, squeezing her husband's hand. He gave her a gentle squeeze back, nodding. 

"How did you two find each other?" Frilla burst into the conversation, sticking her tongue out at Grillby, who'd watched her squirm in silence for the last few minutes. 

"Well, it was difficult, as your father was already working an apprenticeship with Mr Flamesmen, so I couldn't find him at school. I found him later when he came to fix Mr Fireball's electricity," Grillby's mother explained, "I asked if he'd like to go on a date. He said yes." 

"So you just knew he was the One?" Frilla squeaked excitedly, practically buzzing in her seat. 

"Yes." Her mother nodded in response, smiling at her daughter's bright flames. 

"And I knew your mother was the One." Their father put in, grinning at Grillby. "You'll find them son, don't worry." 

"I hope so." Grillby murmured, his face burning a slightly darker shade, especially around the cheeks. 

"You will." 

 

 

And find his Soulmate he did. The next day, in fact. With the smell of ketchup ensuring a terrible night's sleep, he arrived to school dead on his feet. 

Miss Hayes looked at him, her brow furrowed in concern. "Grillby, is everything okay?" She asked when he didn't greet her. This was the first time he'd ever done that. 

Grillby looked toward her, shook his head a little, then nodded hastily. "Oh, yes. Just... a bad sleep." 

Miss Hayes nodded, though still looked doubtful. "Well, the English essay is today. Period 4, don't forget!" 

"Of course, Miss Hayes." Grillby smiled, ambling into the class. Everyone looked at him in amazement. 

"You're late?" A Snowcap asked in disbelief, elbowing his brother in the side. The other Snowcap's attention turned to him. 

"I... had a rough night." Grillby answered, scratching his arm absently. 

"I'll say! You look _terrible_ , man! _"_ A Vulcan came up to him, slapping him on the back. 

"Oh, morning Seera." Grillby smiled at his friend, patting the chair next to him. 

"So, what's news?" Seera asked, practically falling onto the small, fire-proof seat. 

Grillby turned his head to make sure no one was listening, leaning in close to his friend. "Well, I got my First Impressions last night." 

"No way!" Seera yelled, at which Grillby attempted to hush him in vain. "I thought we had something special." He leaned back in his seat dramatically, a hand pressed to his forehead. 

"Seera! Shush!" Grillby hissed, covering his friend's mouth. The other monsters stared at the commotion as Seera began to wail, wiping away fake tears. 

"I-i-i-it's ju-ist that I wa-ant-ted to b-be with-ith you!" Seera sobbed. 

Grillby stood up and went to sit next to an Aaron, to which Seera grinned and grabbed his arm. 

"Kidding! But please, do tell." He smirked when the fire around Grillby's cheeks turned dark red. 

"Well... I suddenly knew all the science work. And everything smells like ketchup." Grillby told him. 

Seera threw back his head with laughter. "So we're looking for a science geek who loves ketchup?"

"Yes." Grillby sighed. "It sounds really stupid, doesn't it?"

"I think you're gonna love them." Seera gave Grillby a devilish smile, then stood up. "Yo, who here likes ketchup?" 

A vast majority of the class put their hands up. 

"Yeah, that's what I like to hear!" Seera grinned, then sat down again. 

"Remind me why I put up with you?" Grillby shook his head, but smiled at his friend affectionately. 

"Because I'm the best?" Seera said in a 'duh' tone. 

Grillby laughed, his flames popping and crackling. The whole class looked at him for a second, then went back to their conversations once they'd realised the sound was just Grillby. 

"Alright everyone, settle down please," Miss Hayes stood up from her desk, closing her laptop, "This lesson, we'll be discussing..." 

Grillby listened to her closely, scribbling down notes at random points in time, answering questions when no one else in the class wanted to. He felt more alert than usual, something he found odd, given how tired he was. Miss Hayes seemed impressed by his answers, asking him if "he'd been studying all last night", once the class was finished. Grillby had nodded absently, then left the classroom to catch up to Seera, who was waiting for him outside. 

"Man, you had all the answers back there!" Seera clapped him on the back. "I'm sitting next to you for the next History test!" 

Grillby shook his head and laughed softly. "That was a once-off." 

"Pff, yeah right!" Seera laughed too, pulling Grillby closer to his side, squeezing his shoulders for a second. "A'ight, let's go get you a Soulmate!" 

English was horrific. Grillby couldn't come up with a _single_ thing to write down. He tapped his temple with his pen, then banged his head down softly on his desk. Miss Hayes watched him with growing concern, staring as frustrated tears came to his eyes, the drops of lava slipping down his cheeks onto the desk. It sizzled for a second, then stopped. A tear landed on his paper, the whole thing catching fire, burning up in seconds. Grillby laid his head on his arms before any of the other students looked over and saw his face. 

At the end of the period, Grillby continued to sit at his desk while the other students handed up their papers. One student stuck around. 

"Hey Miss. The paper's pretty bad, not gonna lie." A somewhat deep voice said. 

"It's alright. I've put some thought into how you could improve your English skills, though." Miss Hayes announced. 

"Oh yeah?" The monster replied. 

"You'll have to leave for a minute, though. I'll call you back in." Miss Hayes told the monster, her chair scraping against the floor as she stood. Grillby could hear something clicking along the ground, before the door opened and closed with a loud _clack_! 

"Grillby, are you alright?" Miss Hayes asked, walking over and stopping in front of his desk. 

Grillby groaned in response. "I don't know what's happened, Miss. I just... I can't write anymore!" 

"What do you mean?" 

"I got my First Impressions last night, and now I'm writing in lower-case (if I can even write at all) and I've got absolutely no ideas!" 

"Your First Impressions? How exciting! I'll make sure to assess you after you find your Soulmate, then!" 

"Really? You're not angry?" 

"Of course not dear, why would I be?" 

Grillby breathed a sigh of relief. 

"Now, there is someone I'd like you to meet." Miss Hayes told him, striding over to the classroom door, opening it. A skeleton strolled in, hands in pockets. His eyes immediately went to Grillby, as if he were scanning him. 

"Heya. You doin' okay?" The skeleton asked. 

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you. How are you?" Grillby responded automatically. 

"Pretty sure I've screwed up my English essay. Badly. I'm Sans, by the way." The skeleton held out a hand, which Grillby took. A wet farting sound echoed around the room. 

Grillby laughed when the skeleton started grinning wider, holding his hands wide to reveal a whoopsie cushion. 

"At least you handed something in. I burnt my paper to a fine crisp." Grillby shook his head, looking down at the desk and away from the skeleton. 

"Yeah. You weren't lookin' too _hot_ during that test, not gonna lie." Sans told him, watching Grillby's face as he understood the pun. The elemental had begun to laugh, his flames crackling and popping. 

"Are you done with the jokes, Sans?" Miss Hayes asked. 

"Of course Miss, sorry. Just _burning_ to use new material on a fresh audience." Grillby giggled again at the joke, snorting when his teacher gave the skeleton an exasperated look. "Man, all these puns are just comin' out in a _rapid-fire_ , huh?" 

Miss Hayes ignored him. "Now, I think the two of you may be able to benefit each other." 

"How?" Both students asked in unison, staring at her in curiosity. 

"Well, Grillby, Sans here skipped a grade, just like you; he’s here for Science and Maths though. Sans, Grillby is doing Language and English." Miss Hayes looked between the students without another word. 

"You want us to study together. Help each other with stuff we do badly in." Sans nodded. "Okay, sure." 

Grillby looked to Miss Hayes to see her smile in confirmation. 

"You gotta phone I can text you on?" Sans turned to Grillby. 

"Yes, of course. Here." Grillby relayed his number to him, watching as his fingers sped across the phone screen, entering in the numbers. 

"Cool. Text you later." Sans winked at him, then walked off, closing the door behind him softly. 

Grillby watched him go. _How did he know I still wanted to talk to Miss?_ he thought. 

"So. Grillby. How do you feel about working with Sans? He's a very nice boy." Miss asked, patting Grillby's arm reassuringly. 

"I look forward to it. Thank you for organising this." Grillby smiled. 

"Not a problem, my dear." 

"Now... Miss... I was wondering... do you have any idea on how to find a Soulmate?" 

"Well, I found Miss Dragoll while we were teaching." 

"But how did you _know_?" 

"I'm not sure. I just took an instant liking to her. Laughed at her bad jokes." Miss Hayes' eyes left Grillby's face, becoming unfocused. 

Grillby nodded. "Alright. Thank you." 

He left his teacher to stand in the middle of the room, heading to the cafeteria. He ran behind the food counter. 

"Sorry I'm late, Delores. I was speaking with Miss Hayes." Grillby gazed at the long line of students standing with their lunch trays. 

"That's alright, just put your stuff on and get serving!" Delors called out from the kitchen. 

Grillby did so, tying his apron on in seconds and picking up one of the lunch servers. He smiled at Seera, who he'd convinced to help out in the kitchen during their first year. 

They didn't talk, skirting around each other to fill out different requests, taking up the other's position when needed. Once the rush for food had finished, Grillby surveyed the cafeteria. That little skeleton was nowhere to be found. 

He pulled out his phone to check it, confused when a notification had come through regarding a text from an unknown number. He clicked on it. 

**yo its the science nerd you met just a minute ago. lemme know when youre around and well catch up somewhere**

Grillby frowned, then texted back. **Sure, how about at my father's restaurant? We'll get free food...**

His phone pinged a second later. 

**yeah where is it? also, i never caught your name**

**Grillby. The restaurant's called Thank Asgore It's Fireday.**

**cool. see you tonight?**

**Yeah. 7 work for you?**

**yeah should be fine**

Grillby slipped the phone back into his pocket, jumping slightly when he noticed Seera standing beside him. 

"Was that a date I just saw getting organised?" He asked with a smirk, elbowing Grillby in the ribs while wiggling his eyebrows. 

"No. Well, in a way. A study date." Was the response.

"They said they liked science." Seera winked, then strutted away before Grillby could say anything. The elemental simply stood still for a while, mouth hanging open a little. What if... no, he hadn't felt anything unusual. Had he?

Grillby grabbed his lunch from the kitchen fridge, nodding to Delores on his way out. She waved a tentacle at him, a grateful smile on her face.

"You should ask him if he likes ketchup." Seera suggested immediately when Grillby sat down.

"Pardon?"

"You should ask him if he likes ketchup. I'll do it, if you want."

Seera stood up, making it out like he was leaving to go and find a person who he hadn't even seen before. 

"Don't be stupid, Seera. Sit back down." Grillby tutted, digging into his burger. 

"You think Soulmates are stupid?" Seera asked, gasping loudly and slapping his hand to his mouth. Grillby resisted the urge to slap him up the head. 

"Shut up, seriously. Shut up. You know exactly what I meant." Grillby huffed, smacking Seera when he attempted to tickle him. 

"Anyone would think you two were Soulmates." Frilla sighed, seeming to appear out of nowhere. She placed her lunch bag down beside Grillby's, slipping her phone out of her pocket and laying it on the table. "I still haven't been approved by that ketchup account." 

Seera smirked. "What sibling-stuff is going on here?" 

"Well, I'm trying to find Grillby's lover through the ketchup tag on Monsternet, but the account that uses it won't approve me." 

Seera nodded, pulling out a notebook from his pocket. He flicked past some drawings he'd done of different friends and family in the past, coming to a fresh page. 

"Alright, so give me a rundown on everything." He pulled a pen out of his pocket as well. 

"So, basically, Grillby's had his Firsts, which were the smell of ketchup and being better at Science. He's gotten worse at English and Language. I searched for things with a ketchup tag and found one account who used it for all of their posts. I've requested to follow, but there's been nothing happening." Frilla explained, watching and pausing as Seera furiously scribbled down notes. 

“Right. Thank you for your information, Miss Burnhard. I’ll be in contact with you again shortly.” Seera nodded thoughtfully, tapping his pen against his chin. Frilla giggled, turning her phone off and slipping it back into her pocket. She gazed at Grillby to try and gauge a reaction, but her brother didn’t offer-up anything. 

“Alright. We should be heading to class.” Grillby clapped his hands together and stood up. He looked at his companions expectantly. 

“Yes, Maths, my absolute favourite subject!” Seera squealed through gritted teeth, clenching his fists to his side. 

Grillby shook his head, smiling. He strode out of the cafeteria, then stopped as he waited for the other two monsters to scramble from their seats and catch up. 

“I have History now. I’ll see you after school.” Frilla told her brother, strutting off down the hall. She immediately joined a large group of girls who were chattering excitedly, waving their arms and phones around. 

Seera watched after her wistfully. 

“That’s my sister.” Grillby poked him in the side harshly. 

“I know. It’s not her. Not in that way, though! I mean, she is really smart and funny and pretty and all but I see her as a sister, ya know?” Seera turned to Grillby quickly, his hands making wild gestures as he rambled. 

“Well, who is it?” Grillby asked, now glancing over at his sister’s friends. 

“That one.” He said, pointing to a Tsunderplane. 

“I see it.” Grillby nodded, looking Seera up-and-down. “Yes.” 

“‘Yes’ what?” Seera’s eyebrows creased. 

“It’s definitely there. I’ll get Frilla to talk to her.” Grillby nodded again, tapping his chin. 

Seera grabbed his arm. “No, no, no. Absolutely not. Never. Nu-uh. Not in a hundred years, my dude. Nopity nope nope.” 

Grillby swept his hand away, sighing. “Fine.” 

“You’re the one with a Soulmate, anyway.” Seera reminded Grillby, to which the elemental shook his head but didn’t respond. They walked in a comfortable silence to their classroom, weaving in between all the students waiting to enter their rooms. 

This time, Grillby really noticed the skeleton standing at the door. He was playing with a small black ball, tossing it between his hands. Grillby went up to him, then stepped back into Seera when he realised what the black ball really was. After mumbling an apology, he summoned the courage to confirm with Sans on what the ball was. 

“Yeah, it’s part of the void.” Sans replied, not offering any further explanation. Seera gave Grillby a confused look, one he recognised as what-the-hell-is-the-void? He shook his head, turning back to the skeleton. 

“Do you regularly break space and time?” 

“Nah. Only period 5 on a Tuesday.” 

“Of course. And you have a ‘Defy Physics Friday’?” 

Sans laughed. “Oh yeah, DPFs are my favourite thing.” 

Seera patted Grillby’s back in good luck, then went off to talk to a Woshua. 

“You sure you’re fine for tonight?” Grillby asked, “Because I can change it, if need be.” 

“Nah, it’s all good. Thanks for the offer. My house is boring as hell.” Sans snapped his fingers and the rip into the void disappeared. Grillby smiled nervously when he realised the skeleton’s full attention was now on him. 

“That’s quite alright. My parents like when people from school come and visit.” He said reassuringly. 

Sans nodded, then looked away suddenly. Grillby followed his gaze, watching as their teacher appeared around a corner. 

“How did you know he was coming?” Grillby turned to Sans, eyes wide. 

“He always comes at this time.” Sans responded simply, stepping away from the door to give their teacher space. Grillby held open the door for the class, saying ‘hellos’ and ‘your welcomes’ to most of the other students. 

During that class, Grillby found himself _really_ noticing the skeleton. He could see him scribbling down everything the teacher said, as well as extra things. When the teacher wrote a question on the board and asked them to complete it, Sans was always the first finished, though he allowed other students to assure the teacher that they were first, never stepping in to provide answers to the equations, either. 

Grillby couldn’t wait to see him after school and understand him better. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This accidentally got very long, so I guess I’m making a part 2 now.
> 
> Thanks for your business, have a nice day!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for your business, have a nice day!


End file.
